From eNewsletter 3/2/2020
DID YOU KNOW that prevalence of poor iron status was higher than expected in youth athletes, especially in adolescent females?
According to a study in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, since rapid growth combined with sports participation may create high demands for iron bioavailability, the authors suggest emphasis needs to be placed on dietary iron intake for young athletes, particularly females.
NOTE: Before supplementing with iron, one should always test serum iron and ferritin levels first.
PREDICTING CANNABIS ADDICTION THROUGH GENETICS AND MORE
Bonnie and Steve: With many states having already legalized marijuana and federal legalization on the horizon, it is absolutely essential to know your and your family's cannabis addiction risk. This is especially cogent if you have young children or teens who will be tempted in social settings. Sharing this information with them could make the difference between partaking or abstaining.
In the newest update of our Pure Genomics Genetic Analysis, there is a result for the FAAH gene, which shows your risk of addiction to THC, the psychoactive phytochemical in cannabis.
A study in Science Advances confirms the importance of screening for mutations of this gene. FAAH affects the brain's reward processing circuit and increases vulnerability to the rewarding effects of THC in cannabis, especially in adolescent females. The researchers state that adolescence represents a highly sensitive period of brain development with the highest risk for initiating cannabis use.
An enzyme called fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) breaks down a cannabinoid called anandamide that is naturally found in the brain and is most closely related to THC, helping to remove it from circulation. When you have an FAAH mutation, you lack enough enzyme to properly break down THC, which creates an overactive reward circuit, thus increasing risk for problem drug use. This is the first study to specifically look at the mechanistic effect on cannabis dependence.
The authors purport that mutations of the FAAH gene are found in about one-third of people. In reviewing over 600 individuals who have done our Pure Genomics screening, we believe the ratio to be half of all people.
ATHLETICS, EXERCISE, AND YOUR GUT FLORA
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